Download The Reconstruction of the American South, 1865 - 1877 - fchs

The Reconstruction
of the American
South, 1865 - 1877
Major Events from the Time Period in the Context of
American History
Understanding the Context
• The Reconstruction Period in American history is sometimes
overlooked, because it fails to hold up to the Civil War, for
example, in terms of excitement and drama. However, the
Reconstruction Period is critical to the overall meaning of the
Civil War.
• Consider these two (2) goals of the Union for Civil War:
1. Forcing the secession states to acknowledge the
supremacy of the national government.
2. The emancipation of enslaved African-Americans, and
the end of slavery.
Did the Union actually accomplish either of these goals?
The Activity. In two parts…
• First, consider all of the significant events which took place during
the Reconstruction Period, from 1865 – 1877. For the purposes of
this activity, we’ll choose twelve very important events. If would be
possible to make a longer list or a shorter list, of course.
• Next, answer these two prompts.
• 1. Seventy-five (75) years after the Reconstruction came to an
end, arrange these events in terms of their influence on
American society between the years 1878 and 1953.
2. Arrange the same twelve events in order of their
significance today, in 2014.
Of course, you will need to explain the differences. In order to do so,
you’ll need to think about how Americans have changed since the
Reconstruction, but also, how Americans have changed since 1954…
Consider all of these major events from the
Reconstruction Period. What happened? Why was it
important?
MAJOR EVENTS DURING THE
RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SOUTH
A. The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, April 1865
Abraham Lincoln was murdered when John Wilkes Booth shot him to death on Good Friday,
1865. He passed away the following morning, and his plans for Reconstruction died with him.
B. The 13th Amendment was ratified.
Not only was the 13th Amendment ratified at the insistence of Abraham Lincoln, it was also
made a requirement of re-entry to the Union that all former Confederate states ratify the
document.
C. The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was both a Southerner (from Tennessee) and a Democrat. Lincoln had put
him on the ticket in 1864 as a symbol of his willingness to work with others and
compromise. When Lincoln was killed, a Southerner and a Democrat took the Presidency.
D. Radical Republicans take
control of Reconstruction.
Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner were two of the most outspoken “Radical”
Republicans. Both men believed that African-Americans should have complete
social and political equality – including voting rights. As a party, the Radical
Republicans wanted:
1. To keep ex-Confederate officials out of power.
2. To make the Republican Party rulers of the South by
recruiting African-Americans to vote for them.
3. To provide suffrage for African-Americans.
The Radical Republicans plan for Reconstruction was very severe:
1. Force each of the ex-Confederate States to ratify the 13th,
14th, and 15th Amendments.
2. Divide the South into five military regions, and occupy each
region with Union soldiers and a military general.
3. Require new state constitutions which guaranteed voting rights.
4. Guaranteed voting rights for African-American men.
5. Allowed African Americans to hold office.
6. Established educational institutions for African-Americans.
E. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution is ratified.
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was made permanent by this amendment to the Constitution,
which guaranteed citizenship rights for all natural born Americans.
F. The Election of African-American
Senators and Representatives.
Blanche K. Bruce
Hiram Revels
G. The Role of the Freedman’s Bureau during the Reconstruction.
Southern whites hated the Freedman’s Bureau, which helped to negotiate labor contracts,
provided formerly enslaved African-Americans with food and resources, and helped to create
public schools in the South for African-American children. They also attempted to procure
abandoned land for former slaves.
H. The Ku Klux Klan was established.
This violent hate group was established by ex-Confederate soldiers in order to intimidate
and murder so called “carpetbaggers,” “Scalawags,” and African-Americans. While Ulysses
S. Grant was President, laws were passed to arrest these men; most Southern juries
wouldn’t convict white men for crimes against African-American victims.
I. Ulysses S. Grant was elected President.
General Ulysses S. Grant became President Ulysses S. Grant after the Election of 1868. He
was a true believer in the goals of the Union during the war. Southerners hated him, and
Southern historians disparaged him as a corrupt, dishonest leader. He was not.
J. The Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869.
Abraham Lincoln actually signed two major acts regarding the settlement of the West while
he was President: The Homestead Act of 1862 and the Transcontinental Railroad Act.
Ulysses S. Grant was President when the transcontinental railroad was completed.
K. The Compromise of 1877
ends the Reconstruction.
• In the Election of 1877, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes lost
the popular vote to Samuel Tilden, a Democrat from New
York.
• The basic agreement struck between the political parties was
that Rutherford B. Hayes would ascend to the Presidency, but
only with the conditions that –
•
•
•
•
A.
B.
C.
D.
Union soldiers would be removed from the South.
A Southerner would be appointed to Hayes Cabinet.
A railroad would be built from New Orleans to the West.
Federal money would be earmarked for the South in order to
stimulate industry in the region.
L. The 15th Amendment to the Constitution is ratified.
The 15th Amendment to the Constitution gave African-American men the right to vote in
national elections. Women still could not vote. Frederick Douglass was a major advocate.
Task One. The Legacy of the
Reconstruction, 1877 - 1953
• Arrange these twelve events in order of importance between
the years 1877 and 1953. Which events were most important
in shaping American history? Which ones were ignored and
forgotten?
• Be certain that you look up all of the events, and that you
understand the significance and consequences of each event.
• Be able to explain why you have arranged the events in the
particular order that you did.
Task Two. The Legacy of the
Reconstruction in the Present.
• Starting in 1954, a wave of social change was generated in the
United States by a handful of justices and brave Civil Rights leaders.
• In 1954, Thurgood Marshall successfully argued before the Supreme
Court that segregated schools should be outlawed because they
violated the Constitution. The case, Brown V. Board of Education,
changed everything.
• By the 1960s, laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting
Rights Act of 1965 had changed America – and Americans.
• Rearrange your lists to reflect the new realities of the world we live
in. Which events from the Reconstruction have now been made
more meaningful because of the way they have been embraced by
the last several generations of Americans.
• Be certain that you look up all of the events, and can explain why
they are important to Americans today.
• Be certain that you can explain why you have arranged the events in
the order that you did for your second list, too!